Although a majority of Americans support medical cannabis, a small segment of the population still opposes its legalization for fear that it will lead to an increase in adolescent cannabis use; however, according to a new study published in the journal Addiction, that fear may be unfounded.

A new medical marijuana guideline developed by Edmonton researchers warns family doctors that the risks may outweigh the benefits for the vast majority of patients. The guideline, published Thursday in the Canadian Family Physician journal, suggests the benefits of medical cannabis may be overstated, and research on its medicinal properties is sorely lacking.

Baby boomers have become a growing market segment in the legal cannabis industry as the acceptance of medical cannabis treatment continues to spread across the world, and now it appears that medical cannabis treatment may offer senior citizens a safer alternative to opioids in the treatment of chronic pain.

SOUTH KINGSTOWN, R.I., Feb. 8, 2018 /Weed Wire/ — A new report compiled by Peter Phipps, a professor of journalism at the University of Rhode Island, and students in his Media and Law course found that Rhode Island police officers continue to devote resources to enforcing laws against marijuana even after possession of small amounts was decriminalized in 2013.

It has often been touted by medical cannabis advocates that states with medical cannabis laws see a statistical reduction in opioid-related deaths, and there is some evidence to support this claim; however, a recent study conducted by the RAND Corporation and the University of California, Irvine, calls into question this assumption and paints a more complex picture.

Marijuana legalization states have taken no steps to limit the potency of marijuana, which has increased sharply in recent years. A new study suggests this could create public health problems down the road as more users become addicted or otherwise impaired.

Israel has temporarily suspended medical cannabis exports. According to Haaretz, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was responsible for the suspension and has ordered a review from both the Health Ministry and the chairman of the National Economic Council.

Can cannabis protect individuals from alcohol-related liver damage? Maybe. According to a study published in the journal Liver International, heavy alcohol users that use cannabis on a daily basis have reduced incidence of liver disease than those that do not.

Not only do the rules for marijuana consumption vary from state to state, but so do the prices. From coast to coast, marijuana prices in the United States range from just over $7 in the west to nearly $18 in the east.

United States Attorney General Jeff Sessions may have reversed federal marijuana enforcement policy, but that isn’t stopping the Golden State from studying how to move forward with creating a public cannabis bank to serve the state’s legal cannabis industry.

SACRAMENTO, Calif., Jan. 30, 2018 /Weed Wire/ — California State Treasurer John Chiang today announced next steps in determining the potential of a public bank to service the cannabis industry in California.

Could New York become the next state to legalize recreational marijuana? On Jan. 16, 2018, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced his proposed FY 2019 state budget, which includes funding for the creation of a feasibility study aimed at understanding the social, health, and criminal justice impact of legalizing recreational marijuana in the state.

The Department of Veterans Affairs says it will not conduct research into whether medical marijuana could help veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder and chronic pain, as veterans groups are pushing for the use of the drug as an alternative to opioids and anti-depressants.

More pregnant women seem to be using pot — sometimes to ease the nausea of morning sickness or heightened anxiety — and a new study suggests that this slight rise in marijuana use is most pronounced among those younger in age.

As a means of understanding the pre-legalization landscape of Canada, Statistics Canada has released an Economic Insights study on Canadian cannabis consumption, estimating the number of consumers and the volume of their consumption by examining data from 1960-2015.

SACRAMENTO, Calif., Dec. 14, 2017 /Weed Wire/ — A study assessing the impact of medical marijuana laws (MML) on adolescent substance use has found decreased use of all substances among 8th graders, no change among 10th graders and increased non-medical use of prescription opioids and cigarette use among 12th graders, following MML enactment.

An overwhelming majority of health care professionals who care for children with cancer would be willing to help those children get medical marijuana—though less enthusiastically if they happen to be among the providers who are actually eligible to provide it, found a new study.

New Hampshire legalization will have to wait for at least one more year. On Nov. 14, 2017, the state House Criminal Justice Committee voted to reject House Bill 656, a bill that aimed to legalize recreational marijuana in the state.

In an effort to increase racial diversity in the state’s medical cannabis industry, the Maryland Legislative Black Caucus has announced plans to introduce a bill during the next legislative session that would award additional medical cannabis licenses to businesses owned by African-Americans.

When Asi Naim, a severely autistic Israeli boy, started smacking his head against the wall and hurting himself in other ways, his parents tried every kind of psychiatric drug to calm him. Nothing worked. Then Asi entered a cannabis-based research program at Jerusalem’s Shaarei Zedek hospital.

WASHINGTON, Nov. 8, 2017 /Weed Wire/ — A new study published this week in JAMA found that nearly 70 percent of all cannabidiol (CBD) products sold online are either over or under labeled, causing potential serious harm to its consumers.

SACRAMENTO, Calif., Nov. 7, 2017 /Weed Wire/ – State Treasurer John Chiang today released a report outlining steps California can take to address the lack of banking services that force much of the cannabis industry to operate in cash.

Dispensaries might get all the attention, but hemp farmers are getting the acreage – 23,343 acres, to be exact, according to a new study by Vote Hemp, an organization dedicated to advancing the industrial hemp industry. And which state is leading the pack? Colorado, by far.

CHICAGO, Nov. 1, 2017 /Weed Wire/ — Aclara Research, a leader in the development of patient and consumer insights within the cannabis industry, today released the preliminary results of their latest study examining patient usage of medical cannabis and the impact on prescription opioid usage.

A Virginia lawmaker says he’s working on a bill to decriminalize marijuana. The Virginian-Pilot reported Monday that Senate majority leader Tommy Norment does not support full legalization of the drug. But the Republican said possessing it would be a civil offense subject to a ticket or a fine.

While some data has been collected on how marijuana affects HIV symptoms, there has yet to be a large-scale study on the topic; however, researchers at the University of Florida are getting ready to change that.

In a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing Wednesday morning, Senator Orrin Hatch made the case for medical marijuana. During the hearing Hatch questioned U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions about a path forward for marijuana research.

A Michigan college is believed to be the first in the nation to offer up a marijuana-based undergraduate curriculum. If you’re ready for a joke about “Pot University” or class times at 4:20 p.m. you’re likely not the caliber of student cut out for the classes — as the professors linked to the program at Northern Michigan University explain: this is a tough course load.

After the company announced it will tap investors for money to fuel R&D (research and development) and pre-commercialization efforts for its Dravet syndrome drug, shares in Zogenix (NASDAQ: ZGNX) are rallying 10% at 2 p.m. EDT today.

Zynerba Pharmaceuticals Inc said on Thursday its cannabis-based gel met the main goal in a mid-stage study of patients with Fragile X syndrome, a genetic disorder that causes learning disabilities in adolescents and children.

While Canada is planning to delay the roll out of recreational cannabis edibles for regulatory reasons, it may give stakeholders the added benefit of having extra time to master their formulations for what may become a booming market segment.

The munchies are driving up fast-food sales in states where marijuana is legal. Cannabis has been shown to increase users’ appetite, sending many customers of legalized dispensaries to fast-food chains.

As the Golden State readies for the rollout of recreational cannabis on Jan. 1, 2018, some are preparing for a windfall of revenue from California cannabis taxes and others are preparing to continue competing with the black market.

BERKELEY, Calif., Sept. 22, 2017 /Weed Wire/ — Steep Hill Labs, Inc., the global industry leader in cannabis testing and analytics, today released a study, entitled “Study of Pesticides in Cannabis Plant Clones” (see http://landing.steephill.com/cleanclones for the full white paper) which shows that – whether through direct use or via cross-contamination – the presence of pesticides in the California cannabis supply is endemic and can be sourced to the persistent presence of pesticides in clones.

ATLANTA, GA, Sept. 25, 2017 /Weed Wire/ — A new study conducted in a cancer center in a state with legalized medicinal and recreational marijuana found that approximately one-quarter of surveyed patients used marijuana in the past year, mostly for physical and psychological symptoms.

MJINews was started to aggregate, report and opine on various ways to make money in the legal marijuana industry. While medical marijuana has been legal in many states for years, its legalization for recreational use in Colorado and Washington in 2014 has catapulted the entire subject to new heights.
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